jumpingsumo
Latest
Parrot's two-wheeled MiniDrones to jump and fly into the US in August
While the AR.Drone quadrocopter is still Parrot's most recognizable product, the company actually has other toy robots to offer. Take, for instance, the Jumping Sumo and Rolling Spider MiniDrones it showcased during this year's CES, which are both slated to hit US shelves in August. The Jumping Sumo, a two-wheeled phone or tablet-controlled robot that can, well, hop and jump like its name implies, will retail for $159. Rolling Spider, on the other hand, is a $99 machine that comes with rotors and removable wheels, so it can roll around, climb walls and ceilings and (in a very unspider-like manner) even fly. Both will be available for pre-order as soon as July, but if you're also waiting for Bebop, you may want to consider your budget first -- that one will retail for at least $300 when it comes out.
Live from the Engadget CES stage: Parrot's Yoni Benatar and Thomas Barse
We love us some toys, and thankfully so does Parrot. The company has wowed the audience at our stage with its AR.Drone for the past two years, and now it's time for something new. This year, the company announced two new 'bots: the wall-crawling Mini Drone and the terrestrial Jumping Sumo. January 9, 2014 6:30:00 PM EST
Parrot's Jumping Sumo 'bot gets some pretty impressive air (video)
Oh, and Parrot's got one more thing up its sleeve at tonight's CES Unveiled event, and while this one can't actually fly, it's still pretty damn neat. The company's calling it the "Sumo," for reasons that aren't immediately clear -- the "insectoid" label it's also tossing around seems a bit more appropriate, all said. The device is a two-wheeled terrestrial 'bot that's controlled via tablet or smartphone, using streaming video from a built-in camera. It's pretty zippy, and even more impressively, it can stop on a dime. CEO Henri Seydoux was piloting the 'bot around, making sharp 90-degree turns moments before running into an obstacle. Neater still is the 'bot's ability to jump in the air up to 80 centimeters from a sitting position. The Sumo uses 2.4 or 5GHz WiFi, giving it better range than many remote controlled toys. Like the MiniDrone, it'll be available in 2014 for an as-of-yet undetermined price. Nicole Lee contributed to this report.
